Visioning the future: The strategic imperative

“The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” – Proverbs 21:5

Change is the only constant in life. Yet meaningful change — whether at the national, sectoral or corporate level — does not happen by chance. It should begin with strategic visioning, the disciplined process of imagining a preferred future and setting deliberate steps to reach it.

At the national level, Barbados has been poised for major transformation. On a recent flight from Miami, I sat next to a Barbadian passenger – returning from an exciting tour which included Singapore – who shared her admiration for that nation’s model of disciplined, long-term development.

She was delighted to learn of my vision of “Barbados — the Singapore of the Caribbean.” Only two weeks ago, I reported that another reader, resident in Barbados now but who had lived in Singapore, had written to me in full support of this very concept. The idea continues to surface on local call-in programs, reflecting a growing consensus that our small island can indeed become a model of excellence à la Singapore, a significantly advanced small island state. This will not be achieved overnight, but it can be incorporated now within a rolling ten-year strategic plan, reviewed, refined and renewed on each annual cycle of implementation.

At the sector level, recent reports of the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica remind us of the importance of resilience. In discussions with fellow MPE and CMEx board members, we noted that restoration must include innovation. For example, in rebuilding power lines, there is merit in a strategic partnership among utilities to bury cables and protect critical infrastructure from future storms.

At the corporate level, strategic visioning calls for collaboration between government and private enterprise to align national development goals with business opportunity.

Visioning demands passion, persistence and patience at all levels. It is the compass that guides us from where we are to where we aspire to be in the interest of posterity — step by step, decade by decade, toward a sustainable and prosperous future.

To quote President Obama: “Just learn how to get stuff done.”

basilgf@marketplaceexcellence.com